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From: Alan (to Jane K)
Date: 19 Oct 2009
Time: 14:30:40 -0500
Remote Name: 81.77.82.99
Hi Jane, It’s always heartening to receive feedback from a student SLP – I feel that such interaction is to our mutual advantage. I’m delighted that your fluency class has discussed the impact of emotions and self-image upon stuttering as the importance of this relationship has not always recognised. Sheehan’s iceberg analogy is useful in making us aware that stuttering involves so much more than struggling to say the words. We need to appreciate that things are happening beneath the surface. Over the years (as we encounter more and more negative experiences), we are likely to accumulate varying degrees of emotional baggage. It will, of course, differ from person to person because we are all unique. Every PWS is different. We come from different backgrounds; we have different life experiences and degrees of emotional baggage; we have commenced from different starting lines; we possess different aspirations and expectations; and we have attained different levels of maturity and education. Merely focussing on the mechanics of speech has, in my view, limited value. I dealt holistically with my stutter. By working on various aspects of my life (for example, self-acceptance, self-esteem, assertiveness, non-avoidance, letting go, expanding comfort zones, challenging self-limiting beliefs, physical behaviours etc), my speech improved as a by-product. Jane, I am most grateful to you for taking the time to read my paper and participate in the threaded discussion. I wish you every success with your studies. Kindest regards Alan